Number the Stars
by Blissful Melomaniac
Summary: One man is murdered. One boy gets jumped. That one boy is acting strange and having major mood swings. But only one man will know who caused it all. R&R! Beta - EternalBookworm. Co-written by SodapopXPonyboylover. Currently on hiatus!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders.**

_SodapopXPonyboylover: Heyyy ! This is me (SodapopXPonyboylover) and Hollster09's first co-written fanfic! Please enjoy and be nice : )_

_Hollster09: HEY! I hope you guys enjoy this story! Our AWESOME, TOTALLY AMAZING, WONDERFUL beta, is EternalBookworm :D THANKS GIRL!_

_Chapter 1 – The Beginning _

Everything was dark. The sky was a deep gray, looking as ominous as it was beautiful. Stars glittered here and there, basking a slight glow on the landscape below. Trees – dyed black from the lack of light – swayed slightly as a firm breeze rippled through the valley like a wave crashing down into the depths of the ocean.

In the midst of this scene, the figure of a man appeared, and his heavy pants able to be heard echoing all throughout the land. He raced past the trees - his shadow not to be seen as he ran his hardest away from whatever demons lay behind him.

He finally stopped, panting, in front of an old worn-out looking warehouse. It was obvious he'd been here before.

He barely spared it a glance as he flung open the door, causing a loud creak to pierce through the night, then slammed it shut. His eyes closed as he stood there, wheezing, body still faced towards the door. He didn't seem to notice the stealthy figure behind him until the sound of a gun cocking grabbed his attention.

His eyes snapped open, and dark brown eyes could be seen.

Faint light trickled through the crack in the door, illuminating his face. The sight was almost gruesome. He had a long scar running from his jaw to his dark hair-line, and it looked as though he had been sliced with a knife. His face, which once held the air of beauty, was forever disfigured.

"Please. Don't do this," he whispered in a coarse breath, turning around to see the man that was holding the gun. It was pointed at his forehead.

The man didn't answer, just clenched as he grazed his hands on the trigger. The man with the scar let out something in between a whimper and a cough, and the other man's hand started shaking, causing the whole gun to vibrate.

"You can still get away. Live your life," The man with the scar – better known as Miles Breyer – pleaded with the young man holding the gun. The man hesitated for a second, before stiffening again and raising the gun back up to its original target.

"Can't. Not anymore," he said in a monotonous tone, but his voice cracked at the end and Miles detected a hint of fear. He decided to use this to his advantage.

"They'll never know, I can hide. I promise, you don't have to do this."

The young man suddenly started walking towards Miles, who shrank back a little bit. He held the gun up to the man's head.

"I'm sorry," he said in a detached voice.

The sound of a trigger going off rang out across the clearing, and birds restlessly flew out of trees, scattering in every direction. Back in the warehouse, a young boy cried in fear.

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_**Well thanks for reading! I know this is insanely short, but its just a prologue. :]**_

**_Don't you guys just love the cliffy? ;) Don't worry, everyone will find out who the shooter is at mid-story, or the end. _**

**_Reviews are always appreciated! _**


	2. A Normal Day Right?

**Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders.**

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Hollster09: Hey everyone! I totally failed to mention that the last chapter was written by our awesome SodapopXPonyboylover :) *CLAPS* and this chapter, is written by me.

The next morning, all I could hear was complete silence in our house. I was laying in bed, right next to Sodapop, whose breathing was so low and so slow that that I could barely hear it. Sodapop was dead asleep while I, on the other hand, hadn't slept a wink. How could I? I had too many things running through my head. Too much to think out; too much to _worry _about.

I glanced at the clock sitting on mine and Soda's night-stand. 6:55 was glowing bright red. I sighed, thinking, _Only a few more minutes. Only a few more minutes until Darry comes in; until Soda wakes up. _It felt like years had passed by the time the clock read 7:00. Right on cue, Darry opened our bedroom door, and came in. I quickly shut my eyes, and turned my head over to the side, pretending to be asleep. Darry would kill me if he found out I hadn't slept a minute the night before.

"Soda, Pony, wake up," Darry said, gently shaking Sodapop's shoulder. Sodapop muttered something about giving him five more minutes of sleep, but I opened my eyes and sat up, pushing Soda's arm off of my chest. I rubbed my eyes, and made a fake yawn escape my lips.

"Make sure he gets up, will you?" Darry asked. I nodded, and Darry disappeared out of our room.

I pushed Soda's arm - he was alread out again - saying, "C'mon Soda, we ain't got all day to wait around for you."

Sodapop slung his arm around, trying to hit me without opening his eyes. "_Seriously?_" he mumbled into the pillow laying under his head. "I can't sleep five more minutes?"

I laughed. "No Soda, you can't. Not unless you wanna get fired from the DX," I told him. He groaned, but sat up, rubbing his eyes.

I quickly changed into some jeans, a white t-shirt, and black Converse, and ran into the kitchen, where Darry was already making pancakes. _Pancakes? _I thought. _That's different._ A big plate of chocolate cake was placed right in the middle of the table. I smiled, thinking, _That's not different. _

"Is Soda up?" Darry asked me. I shrugged. "He was gettin' up when I left him," I replied, picking up a piece of chocolate cake, and placing it on a smaller plate. I grabbed a fork from the drawer beside the sink, and started eating.

After a moment, Soda came running into the kitchen, wearing jeans, and his DX shirt. As always, he had no shoes on his feet, and I was sure he had forgotten them. We all ate out chocolate cake and eggs while Darry asked me about my grades. I told him they were still as good as they always were.

After we all ate, me and Soda washed up the dishes, I reminded Soda that he had to wear shoes to work, and then we were in the truck, and on our way to start the day. It seemed like a normal day, as we headed down the long, hard road to my school, but inside I knew nothing was normal. I was constantly worried about my brothers. I was sitting in between Sodapop and Darry, while they were talking, laughing, and going on as if nothing was wrong. Because in their world, nothing was.

In my world, on the other hand, everything was turned up-side down. I stared at Soda, who had a huge grin on his face. I couldn't imagine losing him; not seeing that big, happy grin every day. I couldn't live without him. I had lost Johnny, and Dally. But Soda? No way. I couldn't handle that. I would die myself if something happened to him.

I took a deep breath and told myself, _You don't have to worry anymore Pony. You took care of everything, now your brothers aren't in any trouble. _I repeated this over and over in my head, trying to convince myself that everything would be okay. Everything would be okay.. right?

Before I knew it, we were at my school. "Pony," Darry said, pushing my arm, "We're here."

I realized that Sodapop was already out of our pick-up truck, waiting for me to get out.

"Oh, sorry.." I muttered. I climbed out of the truck, and waved a "goodbye" to Darry.

Sodapop messed my hair up, before jumping back into the truck. And then they were gone. I stood alone in the parking lot, waiting. I'm not sure what for, just waiting. Waiting to wake up? And to figure out this was all a dream?

Maybe. I wasn't sure. I never felt anything but confused anymore.

But that was going to end soon. Because everything was okay now. I took care of everything. I took care of it. _You did the right thing Ponyboy, _I said to myself. But deep down, I didn't believe anything that I thought anymore.

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_OoOoOo! Cliffy again! :) Who wants to guess why Pony was worried about his brothers? :) Reviews are always welcome! Thanks for reading!_


	3. Born to be Wild

**Disclaimer: We do not own the Outsiders**

**SodapopXPonyboylover: The last chapter was awesome Hollster09! *round of applause* okay on with the story, this chapter's mine(=**

…

_"Yeah Darlin' go make it happen…uh…something something… BORN TO BE WILD!" _I sang at the top of my lungs to an annoyed Steve, who was scowling at anybody who walked by. I glanced over at him. Well, this wasn't going to do…

"_BORN TO BE WILD!" _I yelled again, this time attracting a bit of attention from our customers. I heard an annoyed hiss and I put on my most innocent grin before turning around to face Steve. The look on his face scared me a little.

"Jeez Stevie, what crawled up your butt and died?" I laughed, but he didn't seem to find me too amusing. He just rolled his eyes and looked away, glaring into space.

Now I was getting worried. "Hey. Steve man, what's up buddy?"I put a hand on his shoulder and he tilted his head towards me slightly.

"Nothin' man. I'm just tired. Didn't get much sleep last night." He basically mumbled the last part, and enunciated it with a loud yawn.

"Why? Evie come over?"

"No."

"What happened then?"

Steve didn't answer, just looked around. His eyes kept darting towards the DX door, and I wondered what he was up to.

"Soda?"

"Yeah man?"

"Do you wanna do me a favor?" Without waiting for a reply Steve went on, "Can you take my shift for me? There's a cot in the back and I really need some sleep man—"

I cut him off. "Yeah, of course Stevie. I just wish you'd tell me what this was about."

Steve just shrugged, said, "thanks man," and headed inside the store. The bell on the door clanged as it opened, and I sighed. I really wish I knew what was wrong with Steve, he usually always tells me everything. It's either not important at all, or very important – that thing he's keeping from me I mean. Steve would tell me if something was wrong. I know him, he would. It was probably just his dad again, or his mom maybe. It couldn't be anything important… right?

…

"Baby Curtis!" I heard someone screech, and I tried really hard not to laugh when Two-Bit Mathews skidded across the floor on his heels. I watched in amusement as his books flew all around him and his hands made desperate attempts to grab the air. It didn't work. He fell to the ground with an "oomf!" in front of my feet.

He looked up at me with a sly grin, "Hey baby, wanna get down on this?" I rolled my eyes and let out a chuckle, reaching out a hand for him to grab onto. He took it gratefully, and winced as I pulled him up.

"Ooo! Hit it right on the bonker!" he exclaimed, rubbing where his tail-bone was.

"Maybe next time you should pay more attention to where you're goin', smarty." I said, then asked, "Where _were _you goin' anyway?"

"Aw shucks kid, I was just tryin' to find you! You know, I haven't heard from you in day's man. What's goin' on with the youngest Curtis?"

I shrugged, "What's there to tell? Nothin' exciting been happening." _Yeah right. _A voice whispered in my ear, but I told it to shut up.

Two-Bit looked at me closely, "Hey kid you feelin' alright?"

"Yeah Two-Bit I'm feelin' fine. Why?"

"I dunno man, you just ain't lookin' right."

"And I thought I put enough hair-grease on today too!" I exclaimed, digging in my pocket for a comb to fix my hair with. We both laughed and continued walking; Two-Bit's books lying forgotten behind us.

"At least ya still got your sense of humor, kid." He chuckled. I didn't reply.

The way things were going, that would probably be gone soon too.

…

**How was it? Good? Bad? Any suggestions? Please review! =D**

**SO! ANYONE WANNA GUESS WHO THE MURDERER IS NOOOOW? ;) **


	4. Not a Word

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Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders.

Hollster09: *CLAPS FOR SODAPOPXPONYBOYLOVERS CHAPTER!* :) You did awesome girl! And of course, a HUGE thanks to EternalBookworm, our AWESOME beta! :) And thanks to everyone who has left such AWESOME reviews :)

After I had a short nap - so I thought it was, anyway- in the back room of the DX, Sodapop came in, shook me until I woke up, and said, "Man, are you planning on livin' here?"

I glanced around tiredly, finding magazines that were published decades ago, and an old, dusty television sitting on top of a night table.

"Huh?" I said, looking at Sodapop, who, as always, had a huge grin on his face. _At least someone can feel normal around here.._

"You been sleepin' for hours. It's closing time, we gotta go."

"Oh, sorry man," I muttered, sitting up. I rubbed my eyes, and my mind ran back to the night before. All the yelling, the arguing. All the hate, the tears. All the pain, all of the regret. I sighed, as sadness fell over me.

"How about you stay with me tonight, okay? You don't look too great. I wanna keep an eye on you," Soda said.

"Sure. I guess, man."

"So, you're still not tellin' me what's going on?" he asked. I groaned. No way. I didn't want to talk about this. Not to Soda, not to anyone.

"Soda, _please_ forget about it."

________

...

My second oldest brother didn't arrive home on time as he usually did. And when he did arrive, he had a buddy - Steve. I groaned as Steve trailed in the front door, right behind Soda. _Great, _I thought. It wasn't exactly my favorite time when Steve stayed over at our house. He teased me a lot, and didn't like me hanging out with him and Soda.

I waited for a remark from Steve about me being a kid, and needing to be in bed by now, but nothing came. I looked up at Steve's face for the first time, finding sadness and also very clear fatigue. _What's up with him?_

"Hey Steve," Darry greeted him. "How's it goin' man?"

"Um, alright, I guess," Steve said.

Their conversation moved along into the kitchen, leaving me and Sodapop alone in the living room.

"What's his deal?" I asked, not wasting anytime to get to the point. Sodapop sighed, sitting down beside me. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I have no clue. He doesn't want to talk about it though."

"Not even to _you_?"

"Nope. Not a word," Soda said, shaking his head.

"Is he.. _okay_?" I asked, referring to sickness, or something likewise. Sodapop stared at me, his face suddenly pale. I regretted saying that, it would only make Soda worry.

"I, uh.. well..." Soda stuttered over his words, and I knew he was thinking about this deeply.

"Hey, Soda, you shouldn't worry about anything like that. I'm sure he's doin' fine. I didn't mean to say that.." I tried to make Soda forget what I had said, but he just nodded slowly, still pale-faced, and I knew that it was too late.

Steve and Darry walked back into the living room; Darry's face confused, Steve's face still sad. I guessed that Darry had tried to figure out what was up with Steve, and failed.

"Hey kids, y'all need to get to bed now. Steve, you mind snoozin' on the couch?" Darry asked. Steve shook his head.

"Naw, I don't mind," he said. So, me and Soda told Darry and Steve goodnight and went into our bedroom.

...

In the Curtis house, the greasers were thinking about different things..

Sodapop Curtis was worried sick about his best friend, who wouldn't tell him _anything_ that was going on, but he was also trying to figure out what was up with Ponyboy, who hadn't spoken much, and had been a little off all day.

Darrel Curtis was confused at Steve's awkwardness, and lack of words, but of course, had work on his mind too.

But Steve Randle and Ponyboy Curtis were thinking of exactly the same things - Hate. Anger. Regret. Choices. But most of all, they were wondering if things were really settled for good.

...

Well? Good? Bad? Great? Should I stop writing at this very second and go jump off a cliff because I am a disgrace to Fanfiction? Lol, I hope not!

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So, anyone know who the muderer is nooow? :)


	5. Nightmare

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**Disclaimer: We don't own The Outsiders.**

SodapopXPonyboylover: Amazing chapter Hollster09! Really awesome! And thanks to our Super fantastic beta EternalBookworm! Couldn't have done this story without you!  
Anywho on with the story :D

"Nooo…" I heard a drawn out moan from next to me.

I perked up a little, trying to find the source of the noise. When the room went silent again, I decided I had imagined it.

"Mm! Mmm!" it moaned again, and I felt something crash into my back.

This time I jumped up from my spot on the bed, realizing what was going on. I turned around, squinting my eyes in the darkness of the bedroom. There, lying - or, more like thrashing - next to me was my baby brother. His hands were slapping on the pillows and his body was twisting in ways I never thought possible.

He let out another moan that sounded strangely like, "Eve em a…own…"

"Ponyboy?" I asked, shaking his shoulder. His head snapped towards me, but his eyes didn't open.

He just let out another moan, as though trying to wake up from his nightmare.

"Ponyboy, wake up, it's just a dream," I said, this time shaking his whole body.

He still wouldn't wake up. I racked my brains, trying to think of something I could do to help him.

I didn't want to wake Darry up - he had just fallen asleep and had work first thing in the morning; but I couldn't just leave Ponyboy here! Think Sodapop, think…

My head snapped up. _I've got it!_

I jumped out of the bed and raced into the kitchen, where Ponyboy's moans were still clearly audible. I grabbed a cup and turned on the cold water in the sink, irritation settling in as it stayed lukewarm. Those two minutes that it took for the water to turn ice-cold were the longest in my life.

I filled the cup to the brim with water and raced into the bedroom, throwing it in Ponyboy's face. I felt bad, but it was the only thing that I could do to wake him up.

His eyes snapped open and he automatically backed away from me, his head hitting the headboard.

"Ow," he mumbled, still disoriented.

I walked up to him slowly, while his eyes watched my every move.

"Ponyboy, it's just me. Are you okay?" I asked, watching in concern as he started shaking.

He wrapped his arms around his body and let out a barely audible, "Yeah".

I looked at him closely, and my heart sank as I realized he was lying to me – he's always been a real good liar, but this time it was different. His eyes were wide and he glanced around the room every two seconds as though he thought someone were going to jump out and scream "BOO!" at him.

Pony was still shaking, and hugged his legs to his chest. He winced as his finger brushed across his shin bone, but that wasn't my concern right now. His face and chest were drenched in wetness, but whether it was because of the water I had thrown on him or because he was sweating, I couldn't tell.

After about five minutes of silence and staring, Ponyboy let out a big sigh, and his shaking stopping abruptly.

"I'm gonna go back to sleep now," he mumbled, pulling the covers over himslef.

I nodded and hesitantly walked back to the bed, throwing my arm around him. He shifted closer to me, still shaking slightly.

"You're gonna be okay," I murmured in his ear, but I don't think he heard me. He simply shook more and huddled closer.

XXX

I felt my head droop, and I nodded myself out of sleep. I could barely comprehend what my teacher was saying – something about molecules and chromosomes. Everything became blurry again and this time I forgot to nod myself out of sleep.

"Mr. Curtis, am I boring you?"

I lifted my head up from the desk. When did my head get on the desk? I wondered.

"A little," I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"I said no, sir," I repeated louder.

He glared at me for a little before saying, "Well, you can tell the principal about that. Get out of my classroom."

I heard a chorus of 'ooooo's but didn't pay any mind to it. I was too busy trying to get out of my desk. I grabbed onto the side of my desk and willed my body out of the seat. I must have looked as bad as I felt because my teacher's eyes suddenly turned sympathetic.

"Mr. Curtis, are you okay?"

The truth was, I felt horrible, but I couldn't just tell him that. Darry would throw a fit if the nurse sent me home. The boy I was sitting next to stiffened, and I looked down at my leg.

Blood spots were leaking through the jeans I was wearing. Whispers came from all over the classroom, but they were so low I couldn't decipher what they were saying.

"Let me take a look at that," the teacher said, crossing his arms across his chest. I closed my eyes, trying to stop the dizziness, all the while still clutching the desk.

"Mr. Curtis, did you hear me?"

I let out a shaky sigh and started to walk forward, wondering why everything looked like I was staring into a fogged up microscope. My teacher was just a blur, as was the rest of the classroom.

All the sudden my knees buckled and I fell into a peaceful darkness.

XXX

"Darrel!" I looked up, wondering what I had done now. My boss was headed towards me, wearing a frown and holding out the phone.

"It's for you." I glanced at him suspiciously, before putting down my bundle of roofing and grabbing the phone.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Darrel Curtis, guardian of Ponyboy Curtis?"

"Yes…" I said, my heart sinking. _What had he done now?_

"This is the school nurse, I need you to come here right away."

"Is he sick?" I asked. Ponyboy wasn't the one to skip school unless it was a matter of life and death.

"Extremely. He has a fever of 104," she said, "he passed out in class."

"I'll be right there. Where should I pick him up?"

"Oh no, Mr. Curtis, he needs to be sent to the hospital. Any fever over 103 demands hospital attention. Also, he has an infected cut on his leg."

"A cut?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm assuming you didn't know about this?"

"No ma'am," I said, startled.

"We'll need you to sign the consent form. You can ride in the ambulance with him if you wish."

I nodded, then remembered she couldn't see me, and added,"Yes ma'am, I'd like that."

"Please come quickly sir, the ambulance will be here shortly."

"Okay…" I whispered, then handed the phone back to my boss.

"I have to go," I said, already shoving past him. He grabbed my arm. "Darrel, I'm not letting one of my best workers go just because his little brother's sick."

"He's in the hospital!" I snarled, pulling out of his grip. My boss looked shocked for a moment, then regained his composure.

"Very well."

I nodded and walked to my car, all the while feeling worry rising in my gut. I had to tell Sodapop about this.

XXX

"What?" I shrieked, wondering if I had heard him right.

"Soda, I'm telling you, when I got to the nurses office he was just fine! He had passed out in class, and he looked a little clammy, but he was talking and everything. The last thing he said before he passed out again was, 'it's all my fault'. Do you have any idea what that means?"

"No…" I said silently, then said, "Darry, I'm coming to the hospital."

"No. You can come after your shift is over. I don't need you losing your job. I probably just lost mine!" he exclaimed. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes.

"I'll be there later," I said, already regretting it.

"Okay. Bye Soda." He hung up before I could even reply.

"Bye…" I whispered, even though he couldn't hear me. Then I shook my head.

"Steve, Steve!"

Steve looked up at me, his eyes poofy and red.

I was going to ask him what was wrong, but my brother came first. "Steve, I need you to take over my shift. Come on, man, you owe me!"

Steve shrugged. "Whatever," he mumbled, looking around at all the customers.

"Thanks Steve! You're a lifesaver!" I said, already rushing out of the store.

"Yeah…" I heard Steve say, before the door snapped shut and I could hear no more. I started running as though my life depended on it. I had to get to that hospital.

XXX

"108, 108!" I heard someone scream. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave!" The nurse ushered me away from my brother, who was currently having a seizure on the stretcher he was on.

"No! That's my brother!" I exclaimed. The nurse let out an irritated sigh before turning back to Ponyboy.

"Someone get the ice-bath ready!" she yelled, holding down his shaking body.

I watched in horror as they lifted him off the stretcher and pushed him into a tank filled with water and ice.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked the nearest nurse, who examined her clipboard.

"Infected cut, passing out, seizure, fever of 108…" she looked back up at me, about to say something else, when I exclaimed.

"Fever of 108! The nurse told me it was 104!"

"Well it appears it has risen. Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," she said, pushing me out of the room.

"No…no…" I said, struggling, but some more nurses rushed towards me and pushed me out the door.

"Sir if you want what's best for your brother I suggest you leave this room now," she growled, blocking the doorway. I stared at her.

"Will he die?" I asked.

Her eyes trailed along the floor before looking back up at me. "I'm sorry. I don't know. His fever is way too high, and if it doesn't drop…" She trailed off. My eyes widened in horror. Was she saying that Ponyboy was going to die?

Oooh what happened to Ponyboy? Will he die? How did his brothers miss his cut and why is it infected? Anyone care to guess what's wrong with Steve? Please review!


	6. Okay Again

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Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders.

_Hollster09: HEY! :) AMAZING JOB ON CHAPTER FIVE SODAPOPXPONYBOYLOVER! And as always, thanks SO much to EternalBookworm, our amazing beta._

After being forced out of the hospital room, where my brother was laying, helpless, and hurting, I searched for Darry. It didn't take me long to find him, mostly because the hospital was practically empty, and of course, he was sitting right outside Ponyboy's room. He shot up out of the old, torn chair when he saw me.

"Sodapop Patrick Curtis, what _are _you doing here?" he demanded.

I threw my hand toward Pony's hospital room. "What do you think? I'm here to check on my little brother!" I yelled, earning a few stares from the nurses. I'm not sure why, but from the moment I saw Darry, I was mad. _Really _mad. And I could see that he was too. Maybe we were just stressed about Pony. I'm not sure. All I knew, was at that moment, I sure wouldn't mind if I never saw Darry again.

"You should be at work. I told you, Pony is fine," he said calmly. I was now full to the maximum with rage. _Fine? FINE? Ponyboy was far from _fine.

"When was the last time you checked on him? Huh? His fever is 108!" I practically screamed this at Darry, and his eyes grew huge.

"What? No.. oh, no. He was fine just a few moments ago, really!" Darry said, sitting back down so he wouldn't lose his balance.

"Oh yeah? Well that was a few minutes ago! This is now! Ponyboy's NOT fine. He's.. n-not.. fine," I said. Saying that out loud was alot worse than just thinking it. Ponyboy really wasn't fine, was he? He was real bad off. I started to feel dizzy, and I almost lost my balance, until Darry shot up from his seat and caught me.

"Little buddy, are you okay?" he asked me. I shook my head around a little, and stood up straight. Everything around me was a little blurry, but I didn't think I was going to faint.

"Yeah, yeah. I-I'm fine.."

"You really need to go home Soda," Darry told me. I knew what he was saying was true. I had stayed up late thinking last night, then I went to work, and worried about Steve, then I _ran _all the way here, and I was stressed about Ponyboy. I needed rest, but there was no way I _could_ rest. Ponyboy was _dying _for Christ's sake! He had a fever of 108!

Darry must have been reading my thoughts, because he said, "Soda, there is nothing you can do here. Go home. Try to rest. I'll call you and keep you updated, okay?"

I sighed, I knew I couldn't help him, but I still didn't want to leave. "No, Darry. No. I'm not leaving here. I can rest right there, in that chair, right beside his door with you."

Darry had no choice but to give in. He shrugged, and we both sat down. I leaned my head against the cool wall. I hadn't realized how tired I was until now. I yawned loudly, and started bouncing my knee to stay awake. A nurse walked out of Ponyboy's room, and I jumped out of my seat and stood in front of her.

"Is he okay? Did the icebath help?"

Darry was right behind me, with some questions of his own. "When will he be better? Can we see him now?"

The nurse looked taken aback with all of our questions. "Um, he's.. okay. Just okay. The ice bath helped a little, but I don't know when he will be better," she said.

"And, when can we see him?" Darry asked again.

"You can't see him until we know exactly what's wrong. I'm sorry," she said. She started to walk away, but I stopped her by running in front of her again.

"Woah, wait. So, you don't know what's wrong with him yet?" I asked. _How could they not know? Are they good for nothing? Isn't a hospital here to help people? They should know whats wrong with my brother!_

"No, I'm sorry. As soon as we find out, we will tell both of you, and then you can see him. Excuse me, but I have other work to do." I nodded, and the nurse disappeared down the hallway. I sighed, sitting back down.

"I wonder what's wrong with him, Dar, I really do. He seemed fine until a few days ago.." I said.

"I know. But sittin' here wonderin' about it ain't gonna help none," he said.

"Well, I can't get him outta my head. It's hard to think of anything else right now," I muttered.

"I know, little buddy. He's gonna be okay, don't worry."

He kept talking about how Ponyboy was going to be okay, but I didn't hear him, because I had already drifted off to sleep.

XXX

"SODA!"

I practically jumped out of my own skin when I heard my name yelled. Someone was shaking me, and I opened my eyes to see Darry standing there, wild-eyed."

"What?" I asked. "Is Pony okay?"

"Well.." Darry looked upset, and I immediately knew there was something wrong.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked, rising to my feet without a conscious effort to do so.

"Pony's... he's in a slight coma," he said slowly.

"WHAT!" I screamed. I rushed to his door and started to push it open, but Darry grabbed me around my waist and pulled me back.

"Soda! Get a hold of yourself! That's not Pony's room anymore, they had to move him. But listen to me, he-" I pushed Darry away from me, and ran over to the first nurse I saw.

"Where is my brother? Where's Ponyboy?"

When the nurse stared at me as if I were crazy, I started yelling again. "WHERE IS HE?"

"I'm not in charge of anyone with that name, so I don't know. Why don't you ask the front desk?" she said in an infuriatingly calm voice.

For some reason, I could not comprehending that she could possibly not know. "You know! You've _gotta know_! _Where is he?" _I screamed in her face.

"Sodapop!" Darry said, harshly pulling me away from the nurse. "What is wrong with you? Calm down! Ponyboy is on the third floor, room 502. Let's go," he said.

We both ran and ran until we were at Pony's room. I bursted through the doors, not sure if I was allowed to be in there or not, but at the same time not caring. Ponyboy was laying on the bed, and he looked... asleep. Fine, but asleep. Okay, healthy, just asleep. I ran over to his side, and got on my knees, not bothering to pull up a chair.

"Pony! Are you okay?" I asked him, getting no response.

"Soda, he's in a slight coma. He can probably hear you, but he won't be able to talk back. The doctor said he should be out of this coma in a matter of days. He's gonna be okay," Darry said wearily.

I smiled, staring at Ponyboy. He was gonna be okay. He was really gonna be okay. I was still a little tired, and I barely noticed when Darry brought a chair to me. Without even thinking about it, I simply sat down in it and leaned my head against Ponyboy's bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

XXX

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YAY! Ponyboys gonna be okay! Or is he? ;) Please review!


	7. SuRpRiSe!

**Disclaimer: We don't own the Outsiders. **

_SodapopXPonyboylover: I loved, absolutely loved/adored the last chapter Hollster09! Great job! Sorry it took so long for an update peoples. (And thanks as always to our awesome beta EternalBookworm)_

The next day was like agony to Sodapop Curtis and I wasn't liking it one bit.

"Soda, snap out of it!" I yelled. Soda had gave me such a bewildered look that I couldn't help but blame the kid for putting Soda in this state. Whatever that brat had done now, it was really playing a number on poor Sodapop. "He's gonna be fine, okay? The doc's even said so. Come on, man, you gotta get back to work before our boss skins you!"

"Yeah, sure," he mumbled, but I couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or not. I walked away, shaking my head. Sodapop worshiped this kid too much, and what does the kid do? He goes and lands himself in another bad situation. I think he's doing it for attention.

"Hey Randle!" I looked up at our boss. I gulped, thinking he was about to yell at me for Sodapop's behavior.

"There's a customer over there that needs an oil change. Well, you gonna go do it or not!" he demanded when I just sat there looking at him.

I shook my head to snap myself out of it and said, "Yes sir."

"Good. Now get to it," he said, and walked over to Sodapop. I think he was about to yell at him, but I couldn't be too sure, and besides – I could get fired for not doing my work.

"Hello sir," I said. The man looked up at me from his spot in the car, judging. By the look on his face, I could tell he wasn't in the mood to play games.

"All right then," I mumbled to myself, and set to work. He didn't even say 'thank you' when I was done, just paid and left. Idiot, I thought.

"Hey Steve!" I heard Sodapop shout.

I turned around to look at him, and saw that he was pointing in the opposite direction. "Your girlfriend's here!"

_Girlfriend…oh no._

I turned slowly to see Evie all but running towards me. She had the strut of a girl with a purpose. Her dark curls were bouncing and her green eyes were flaring, but it was cute, sorta. She stopped right in front of me, her eyes searching mine. I didn't even know how to react.

"Hey Evie!" Sodapop yelled, running towards us. I almost sighed.

"Hey Soda," Evie said in a flat voice, still looking at me. From the corner of my eye I saw Sodapop frown.

"Um, I guess – I mean I think I have a customer…over there! Bye!" I would have rolled my eyes, but Evie was still staring into them and I figured that would be a little weird.

"So," she stated. I didn't know what to say. _What could I say?_

"I'm not leaving you," I promised her, knowing in my heart I might regret this. Tears formed in her eyes, and soon she busted out crying.

"Hey, hey," I whispered, pulling her into a hug. She sobbed into my shirt.

"I didn't want this to happen!" she said in between sobs. I stroked her back comfortingly.

"It was a mistake," I said, then regretted it instantly. She glanced up at me, tears staining her cheeks. She looked like she was about to say something, but I jumped in first.

"I didn't mean it like that. It's not a mistake, it's just. I mean, we didn't mean for it to happen, you know?" She nodded, then rested her head against my chest again. In the distance I could see Sodapop smiling slightly while he made a motion that I would never repeat, and I rolled my eyes freely.

From over Evie's shoulder I gave him the finger. He just laughed and walked away.

"Steve."

"Yeah?"

"You're really gonna be there?"

"Evie," I said, staring directly into her eyes. "I will not abandon you or our baby when it's born." Evie was about to say something else, but Sodapop rushed over.

"Steve, take over my shift again. I just got a call saying Ponyboy woke up!"

"But I thought he wasn't supposed to wake up for a few more days!"

Suddenly Sodapop turned serious. "That's what's worrying everyone. His body hasn't had time to fully recover. They think something's wrong."

"I always knew that kid was a little off," I said, trying to make it sound like a joke, as much as I thought it was the truth.

Sodapop smacked me on the back of the head, kissed Evie on the cheek, then ran off in the opposite direction yelling, "Thank you!"

"You know, I never said I would take over his shift," I said. Evie just laughed between tears.

* * *

_So this was a short chapter. Surprise! Evie's pregnant with Steve's baby!_

_Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Does Ponyboy have something wrong with his brain? (That sounded mean) Will he be okay? Or have a whole new chain of bad events happened? Please review and tell us what you thought!_


	8. Unresponsive

**_Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders._**

_Hollster09: HEY EVERYONE! Thanks for all the awesome and encouraging reviews! And thanks to our awesome beta Eternalbookworm!_

_XXX_

It didn't take me long to get to from the DX to the hospital, which was probably because I was running as fast as I could.

Most would say, running for my life, but in this case, it was more like I was running for my _brother's_ life. He wasn't supposed to be awake yet, so that either meant something really good had happened, or something really bad. I ran quickly through the hospital to the front desk, almost out of breath and panting.

"Hey," I said to the first nurse I saw. "Is Ponyboy Curtis still in room 502?"

"Yessir, he should be," she replied.

"Thanks ma'am," I said, before bolting down the hallway and jumping into the elevator doors, which were luckily already open.

A man was standing in there, and he stared at me as I leaned over, trying to catch my breath. Man, I needed to get a ride next time! I had ran to the hospital one too many times.

After what seemed like a year inside the elevator, the doors opened, and I ran out once again. Only a few doors down, to my left, was Ponyboy's room. I stopped in front of the door, and took a deep breath before I opened it. Well, more like threw it open, earning a stare from Darry and Two-Bit, who stood by Ponyboy's bedside.

"P-Ponyboy?" I said, pushing past Darry to get a better look at him. I received only a blank stare. Suddenly uncertain, I said "Scoot over."

Again, just a blank stare.

I frowned, and gently moved Pony to the side of his bed, carefully climbing in next to him. He seemed to be in one piece, so I was confused as to what was wrong, and why I was called. Puzzled, I glanced at Darry.

"He's unresponsive," Darry sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, and Two-Bit gazed at us sullenly. Startled, I looked back to my younger brother and asked,

"What's that mean?"

"They think he's coherent, but he won't respond to anybody," Darry explained.

"He'll respond to me!" I said, a bit cocky in my confidence that my little brother would even come out of an unresponsive state for me. "Right Pony?" I continued.

No response.

Two-Bit smirked without humor, and Darry raised an eyebrow at me. I just shrugged, trying to hide how stupidly hurt I was.

XXX

After that, not much happened, obviously. Still lying beside Pony and with my arms wrapped around him protectively, I even fell asleep for a while. Soon enough, though, I was woken up by the nurse fiddling with his IV, shooting me curious looks once in a while.

"It's gettin' late, kiddo, you should probably head home," Darry said from his seat beside the bed. I rubbed my eyes, noticing for the first time that Two-Bit was gone.

"I don't wanna!" I argued, but Darry insisted, so I reluctantly left and called Steve to come get me, who drove me to my house and stayed for a while. We sat on the couch and stayed quiet for a few minutes.

"So, how you been, man?" I asked after the silence started to get a little uncomfortable.

"Everything has been just peachy," he smirked, and I didn't believe him one bit.

"Oh, really?" I scoffed. "Well, what was up with Evie today? I saw her cryin' when I left."

Steve's face was suddenly serious. "She's just..." he trailed off, leaving me even more confused.

"What is it man? C'mon, you can tell me," I said.

He cleared his throat, and said quietly, "Evie's pregnant."

With my mouth in the shape of an 'O', I just stared at him blankly. _Evie is pregnant? So _that's _what's been bothering him._ "You gonna marry her?" I asked bluntly. I didn't mean to - the words just came out.

Steve stared back at me, with the same blank expression.

"Er..."

"C'mon man! You can't get a girl pregnant, then leave her hangin'!"

"Soda! I'm too young for this! I can't think of gettin' married now!" Steve said, suddenly defensive.

"Dude. You knocked her up, you gotta take responsibility for it," I said, my tone slightly annoyed. Steve didn't respond for a while, and I hoped I hadn't made him mad; I sure didn't want my best friend mad with me at a time like this.

"I'm sorry, man," I said. "You don't gotta marry her, but you're at least gonna stay with her - and the baby - right?"

"Of course! I promised her I wouldn't leave them. I do take some responsibility for the things I do," he said, flashing a grin at me. "So, how's Pony doin'? You didn't say much on the drive here.."

"He's 'unresponsive'. Pretty much means that he can't talk, he can only look around," I said sorrowfully.

"I'm sorry, man. I'm sure he'll be back to

his feet in no time," Steve tried comforting me, but I could tell his mind was barely even on Ponyboy. I couldn't blame him though; his girl was pregnant, and plus, Pony ain't his brother.

I played along anyways, pretending to be thankful for his help. "Yeah, I know."

Steve rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Well, man, I gotta head home. If ya need me for anything, just gimme a holler," he said, getting up and heading for the door.

"Will do, buddy," I said. He walked out to his truck, and I shut the door behind him, leaving it unlocked in case Darry came home. After that, I took a long, hot shower, trying to calm myself down from the stressful day, then I changed into some shorts and a white t-shirt, and got into bed.

Although I was clearly tired, my mind wouldn't stop racing through the day. Too much had happened for one day. Heck, too much had happened today for a whole week. My little brother

was in the hospital, and my best friend was gonna be a Daddy, so, as you probably guessed, I didn't get a wink of sleep the rest of the night.

* * *

_Aww poor Soda! Poor Steve! Poor Ponyboy! Thanks for reading everyone! Do you guys think that Darry and/or Soda will end up in the hospital too? From bein' too stressed over everything? We can't forget, Darry is losing time at work too! Poor, poor Curtis family... lol Reviews are always appreciated!(:_


	9. Complicated

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Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders.

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SodapopXPonyboylover: I totally loved the last chapter Hollster09! Thanks to our beta EternalBookworm!

…

I sat down with a sigh, banging my head lightly against the wall. _I can't believe all this is happening. _The state appointed me guardian of my brothers because they thought I'd be able to take care of them! And looking at Ponyboy…

_Why's life so complicated?_

I had nearly lost Ponyboy back when he and Johnny got involved in that murder rap, and now I was close to losing him again. Things like this didn't happen to Sodapop. Sodapop was never in trouble, only Ponyboy. I didn't get it. They acted alike, they both had the same sensitive and crazy personality, but everything bad happened to Ponyboy. It was like he was a magnet for bad things. The phone rang suddenly, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I heaved another sigh and went to answer the phone.

"Hello? I need to speak to Ponyboy Curtis." The voice was cold, it sent shivers up my spine.

"Why?"

"We have something to discuss."

"That's not an answer!"

"I need to speak with him."

I frowned. "He – he isn't here right now."

"Oh? And when will he be back?"

I wondered how much I should tell this guy. I figured he wasn't calling to have a friendly chat with Ponyboy... something was definitely wrong. "I'm not sure."

There was what sounded like a gasp, and then a chuckling voice said, "Darrel Curtis not knowing when his youngest brother is going to be back? I'm appalled. But then, there's a lot of stuff you don't know about Ponyboy. Good day, Mr. Curtis." And before I could ask what the guy meant, he hung up.

_Was there really a lot of stuff I didn't know about Ponyboy?_

Sure, there were things he didn't tell me, but it surely couldn't be that bad…right?

"I'm gonna get to the bottom of this," I said aloud.

"You do that Darry," Soda's sleepy voice drifted from the other room. "Now be quiet so I can get some shut-eye."

I chuckled. "Sorry little buddy."

...

I stared at myself in the mirror for what seemed the hundredth time today, my hand going to my stomach every time. Still flat, still skinny. _How long it would take for me to start showing?_ I was scared; I was so scared that my heart was positively racing. The image of the mirror started to blur and hot cheeks ran down my eyes. I heard the door open and then close again.

The bed sunk down as extra weight was applied to it and comforting hands stroked my hair.

"Hey, Evie. It's alright," I heard the sound of my brother's voice.

I sniffled. "It isn't alright Robby, Mom hates me."

Gentle hands pulled my chin up, and I was forced to look at my twin brother's face. He had curly brown hair, grey eyes, and a nose that was kind of big. But he was still attractive – I think it was his personality.

"Mom doesn't hate you, you hear me? She loves you very much. She's just scared that Steve will do to you what Dad did to us."

I puffed out my bottom lip; Robby hadn't liked Steve in the beginning, but eventually got over it. Mom had never liked Steve, and probably never would.

"Dad left us, but Steve's already promised me he wouldn't do that," I said, then started crying all over again. Robby pulled me towards him and mumbled words of comfort until I eventually calmed down.

"So…you think of a name yet?"

Instant blush took over my cheeks. "I, uh…" I didn't feel like telling him I had been up all last night thinking about names, so I just said. "I…I do, have some names in mind..."

"Well, tell me them."

"Steve probably won't like them."

"So? Who cares?"

I laughed and slapped his arm lightly. Of course Robby would want to know. We told each other everything.

"Okay, I was thinking if it was a boy…Thomas…"

"What about if it's a girl?"

"…Dawn?"

Robby was nodding his head. "Congratulations on being original Evie, you picked the top two most popular names in the sixties."

I hid my head in his arm.

"I like those names," I muttered, and he laughed.

"I was only joking around Eve, lightin up will ya? I like those names too. They're perfect."

I smiled up at him, "Really?"

"Really," he promised.

…

I yawned and jumped up; today I would get to see Ponyboy. It was Sunday, and that meant I was off from work. I jumped off the bed and started to get dressed. I wanted to be there in case Ponyboy started talking again, and in any case, I needed to see him! In a record of 2 seconds, I was dressed and ready to go. No, scratch that. I had my shirt on, but not my pants. Okay, yeah, make that 5 seconds.

Or 6 – does stumbling over the bed count as seconds or no? Anyways, all that mattered was that I was one step closer to getting to Ponyboy! Calling out a "goodbye!" to Steve who had decided to crash on our couch, I headed out the door and to our car which…

…wasn't there.

Crap. If it were possible to punch myself, I would have. Darry would have taken the car to work this morning, which meant…

"STEVE!" I screamed.

I was awarded with a muffled, "What the heck do you want, man?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm taking your car. Okay, bye!"

I barely heard Steve's "HEY WAIT!", because I had grabbed his keys and was out driving his car in minutes.

The TMH wasn't that far away, if you drove quickly. I was feeling lucky today – I didn't think any cops would stop me if I went just a tad over the speed limit.

...

20 crashes later – I mean minutes later, I was parked in front of Tulsa Medical. I raced inside, completely ignoring the weird stares I was receiving, and ran into Ponyboy's room. He was sitting up, staring at his hands. I didn't know if this was a good sign or not.

"Hey Pony…" I said, inching closer. He was still staring at his hands. I frowned, and grabbed one. He stiffened, but other than that, gave no reaction.

"Ponyboy, can you hear me? Oh, we all miss you so much back at home, and we'll get you out of here soon kid, okay?"

He just stared in the opposite direction. I heard the door open and turned around to see a heavy-set nurse with a happy grin on her face.

"Oh, my. I'm sorry," she apologized, "I didn't realize anyone was in here."

"It's fine." I said, backing away from Ponyboy so she could do her work.

She smiled at him, and said, "Hey sweetheart, I'm just going to change your IV okay?"

He didn't do or say anything, but the smile never left her face. I could tell it wasn't a fake one either; it was completely genuine. She was a real nice lady.

After his IV was changed and the nurse had walked out of there, I went back up to Ponyboy.

"I really want you to get better, baby. Please get better," I mumbled, pushing back his hair. He just sighed.

…

_Who was that man on the phone? Why did he want to talk to Ponyboy? Will Ponyboy ever get better? Please review! : D_


	10. Eyes of Ponyboy Curtis

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Disclaimer: We don't own The Outsiders.

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Hollster09: OMG! AWESOME CHAPTER SODAPOPXPONYBOYLOVER! And thanks for all the awesome reviews we got! You guys are so encouraging! *smile* And as always, thanks to our A-W-E-S-O-M-E beta, EternalBookworm!

...

I stayed with Ponyboy for a while after the nurse left. I just kept thinking that he would snap out of it, and start talking to me. Not letting my eyes stray from him, I decided to test whether or not he was _really_ awake, and said, "Pony? Can you hear me? Blink twice if you can."

To my ecstatic surprise, he blinked twice. I could have jumped out of my chair, I was so happy. "Pony, what happened to you?" I asked, not expecting an answer, but hoping for one of course.

"What happened to your leg? W-what happened to... my brother?"

I was practically in tears thinking about this. Pony was real bad off. I desperately wanted to know everything; how he'd cut up his leg, how he'd gotten himself stuck in a coma. Obviously, though, he couldn't answer me; could only stare at me.

Normally, I had a chance of being able to read his eyes, but there was no possiblity of that this time.

They were blank, unhappy, uncaring.

They weren't the eyes of my little brother.

XXX

After about two miles of walking to the DX, I was ready to _seriously_ hurt Sodapop Curtis, for taking my darn car. When I finally got to work and realized he had taken the day off - to stay with Pony no less - I could have killed the kid. Tim, Curly, and Angela Shepard's parents had left a car here which pretty much needed a whole new engine - the perfect job for me and Soda; now a job all for me.

_Great_, I thought.

X

About lunch time, I slid out from under Shepards' car, finding Evie standing above me.

"Hey," I said, standing up. I wiped some grease off my hands, and gave my girl a tight hug. "How you doin', babe?"

"Good," she answered. Everything had been slightly awkward between us ever since she told me she was pregnant, and I desperately wished things would change soon.

"Hey," I called back into the station. "Lunch break!"

"Okay!" my boss yelled back, and that was the only reply I got.

My hand fell down to Evie's, and I led her out of the garage, into the parking lot. I found an old Ford truck parked there, and leaned my back against it. I put my arms out, and Evie stood with her back to my stomach; my arms wrapped around her. "Baby?" I started.

"Yeah?"

"I told Sodapop," I said. She didn't exactly give me permission to tell everyone, but hey, it was my kid too. Evie let out a low laugh.

"I figured you would. What did he say?"

My mind raced back to the night before. Sodapop had been really off that night, but I agreed with what he said after thinking about it for a while.

"He says we should get married," I said.

Silence.

Evie stared down, speechless.

"Honey," I said, turning her around to face me. Her big, pretty eyes stared up at me, almost desperate. For what? I don't know. "I love you, baby, I do. I'm gonna stick with you. I'm not gonna leave like your dad did." By this time, a few tears had run down Evie's cheeks.

"And, I know I'm not perfect, but I'm sure as heck gonna try to be with our baby."

She wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, and rested her head on my chest. "Thank you," she whispered. I pushed her away from me, and examined her stomach. It still looked the same. I placed a hand on her stomach, and she smiled at me.

"Steve... do you want this?" she asked.

I was quite shocked by this question, but I quickly answered, "Yes. Baby, I don't want anything but you and our child," I said. I cupped her cheeks in my hands, and kissed her softly. Pulling away, I saw a big grin across her lips.

"I love you, Steve," she said softly.

"I love you too."

...

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Thanks for readind everyone! This was mostly just a filler chapter.. Thanks for all the awesome reviews so far!:)


	11. Elation

**Disclaimer: We don't own The Outsiders.**

_SodapopXPonyboylover: Wow so, as you read in the author's note, things have been REALLY hectic. Soooo sorry that I was away and couldn't finish this, but I'm back now with a whole new chapter!_  
_Oh and to Hollster09 – That chapter was awesome and I really liked the ending! So cute : ) Oh A/N: I'm going to mix things up and write this in 3rd person._

* * *

"Hmm, I'll have to look into this. But don't get your hopes up – this could just be a reaction. Which I assume is fine as well, but…" the doctor trailed off, shaking his head. "I'll look into it." He promised, before leaving.

Sodapop stared after him, earlier excitement fading. He had just finished telling the doctor - in a very ecastic way - how Ponyboy had blinked at him on command. Granted, he knew that blinking wasn't that big of a deal, but when it concerned his baby brother and his vegetable-like state, it meant everything to the middle Curtis.

"Oh wow that guys a jerk, 'Don't get your hopes up'," Two-Bit laughed. "Mister Optimistic over here, huh Sodapop?"

"Mhm," Soda said, not really listening to his friend's comment, and then added, "I'm going to see Ponyboy again."

"Uhh, I hate to tell you this buddy, but the whole reason you left his room was because visiting hours were over…or something like that. I dunno but uh – Hey! Where you goin'? I thought I just told you…! Argh Sodapop wait up!" Two-Bit called after Soda, who didn't stop his fast walking until he got to his brother's room.

"Relax Two-Bit, I'm just gonna check up on him okay?" Soda informed the huffing and puffing Two-Bit once he arrived at his side.

"But what if we get caught?"

Soda gave him a skeptic look. "Two-Bit you always get caught."

"Yeah, but I'm the only one of you who hasn't been to jail!" Two-Bit explained, much to Soda's amusement and annoyance; he knew for a fact Two-Bit had been to jail because they'd been in together once.

"Two-Bit, you've got a record almost as bad as Dally's!" Soda said, exasperated.

"I meant when I was sober. I ain't never been to jail sober!"

Soda shook his head slowly, indigent as he told his friend seriously, "You're hopeless."

"I'm proud of how I turned out," Two-Bit said, looking like he meant it.

"Idiot," Soda muttered, honestly not understanding how his friend could say some of the things he said.

"Beverage!" Two-Bit countered.

Soda chuckled before walking cautiously into Ponyboy's room. "Hey Pony," he whispered, breaking the silence. Ponyboy didn't answer his brother of course, but Soda kept on anyway, words spilling out without a thought. "So uh, listen... You really gotta wake up, Pony. I uh, we all miss you and -" suddenly sitting up, Sodapop's sentence came to an arupt end before he gasped out, "I can't do this."

Two-Bit stared at him, confused. "Say wha…?"

"I – I can't sit here talking to Ponyboy when he won't even – it's like talking to a dead person. I just can't…!" Soda ran out of the room, tears in his eyes.

Two-Bit stared after him, his mouth slightly open. He heard a loud gasp behind him, and whipped around. Everything was normal, nothing out of place. Except for the fact that Ponyboy was looking around the room with wide eyes, which finally rested on Two-Bit.

"Kid?" Two-Bit asked, suddenly opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but all that came out was air. "Kid! Glory – doctor, doctor!" Two-Bit yelled, forgetting visiting hours were over. Not that he cared.

A nurse rushed in, took one look at Ponyboy, then ran back out. Two-Bit hoped that she would get a doctor soon. "Hey kid, this is just…" Two-Bit trailed off. Ponyboy's eyes had glazed over again and his head lolled to the side.

"Ponyboy?"

No answer.

"Pone…"

Still nothing, not even a twitch of his finger. The one moment of recognition was gone.

A doctor raced in. "What's wrong?" he demanded, rushing towards Ponyboy. He started checking Pony's vitals, and pulled out his clipboard.

Two-Bit told the story of what had happened. "Now he's like this," he finished, motioning towards Ponyboy.

The doctor nodded, "This is good news. This is really good news."

"It is?"

"Yes, this means that he doesn't – shouldn't – have any brain damage. You mentioned that he looked at you, and then tried to speak?"

"Yeah. That's right."

"That's good. You wouldn't have noticed that his pupils were dilated or anything…?"

Two-Bit looked at the doctor like he was stupid. "No, sorry Doc, I was a little more concerned about my buddy there risin' from the dead, ya know?"

"Of course. You were just startled, which is normal. If he does this again, try to focus on the little things okay?" the doctor asked, then walked out of the room without waiting for an answer. Two-Bit looked jacked as he turned back towards Ponyboy.

"Hey kiddo, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow I guess…Soda, he didn't mean it. He's just worried about you – he'll come back. Don't you worry Pony, you'll be better soon."

…

"Hey!" Steve jumped up from his spot on the Curtis's couch and crashed his head on the lamp next to him. "Oww!" he complained, rubbing his temple.

"Two-Bit what the heck is the matter with you?"

"Soda, where's Soda?"

"Uh, he's in him and Pony's room why-?" Steve never got to finish his question, for Two-Bit had literally tackled him.

"Pony woke up!"

"He did?"

"Wull uh... No."

Steve scowled. "Make up your mind Two-Bit, did or didn't he?"

"Well, he did! Then he didn't."

Just as Steve was about to ask what the heck he was talking about, Darry walked in, rubbing the back of his head as he demanded, "Will you keep it down? I got work tomorrow!"

"Darry, Darry!" Two-Bit jumped off of Steve and raced towards Darry.

"What the heck? Two-Bit what are you doing here?" As Two-Bit just looked at the eldest Curtis, suddenly uncertain, Darry prodded, "Two-Bit?"

"What? Oh yeah, uh… well your brother…"

Darry automatically perked up, all traces of sleep gone. "What is it?" he asked, preparing for the worst.

"He woke up." Darry's eyes widened. "But then he…um, well I don't think 'back to sleep' is the right wording here, but uh, along those lines."

Darry's shoulders automatically sank as fast as they'd straightened, and he wearily said, "I guess I should take off work tomorrow to go see him huh?"

"Wha – no, Darry!" Two-Bit exclaimed.

"No, Soda's already taking off tomorrow," Steve groaned, but Two-Bit continued, ignoring him, "You can't too. You won't do Pony any good if you can't afford to keep him in that hospital."

Darry raised his eyebrows, surprised that Two-Bit would give a speech like that. Maybe he was sober – for once?

"Okay, okay. Just…let me know if anything else happens alright?"

Two-Bit nodded enthusiastically.

"Now get the heck outta here Two-Butt so I can get some sleep!" Steve complained, still upset at having hit his head.

"Okay… bye!"

"SCRAM!"

"Jeez alright. I'm leaving."

Silence.

"I'm going now…" Two-Bit prodded. Steve and Darry just looked at him now.

"Okay," Darry said.

"So, I'm leaving like… right now."

More silence.

"Uh, so… I guess I should go then…"

Steve and Darry looked at each other.

"Well I guess this is –"

"GET THE HECK OUT!" Steve yelled.

"Okay! I was waiting for a 'bye' but I guess-"

"TWO-BIT!"

"Fine. Bye," Two-Bit waited, a slight smirk on his face.

Steve only groaned, but Darry said 'bye' pointedly, hoping honest to goodness it was enough to satisfy the annoying greaser as he then back into his bedroom.

"I ain't sayin bye," Steve informed Two-Bit, glaring at him. "Get out."

"What crawled up your butt and died?" Two-Bit muttered, turning away.

"Ugh, bye!" Steve scowled.

Two-Bit's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

…

_Sorry guys, no Steve/Evie scenes in this chap. Maybe in the next chapters? (hint hint)_

_Buuut anywho, I wanted to apologize again and … what will happen to Ponyboy now?_


	12. Chapter 13

**_Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders._**

**_Hollster09: HEY!(: AWESOME CHAPTER SODAPOPXPONYBOYLOVER! I dunno if you guys noticed a difference, but our last chapter was beta-ed by Beaming Sunshine! (because Eternal Bookworm is out of town) So BIG THANKS TO HER!(: _**

Ignoring Steve's comments about not taking the day off of work, I left a few hours early (after begging my boss, of course) and went to see Ponyboy. I knew that Sodapop would more likely than not already be there, but I thought it would be awful not to go see Ponyboy. Plus, I didn't want Soda to feel like it was his responsibility to stay with him all the time. When I got to my youngest brother's hospital room, I stopped in front of the door, hesitant about entering.

I sure didn't like to see my baby brother silent, and unresponsive - it just wasn't right. I silently wished for a miracle as I opened his door, and walked inside. Just as I had guessed, Sodapop was at his beside, holding Pony's hand in both of his. I walked across the room slowly, still slightly hesitant. Soda's head was rested on Ponyboy's bed, and I placed a hand on his shoulder, gently shaking it. He jumped a little, then turned to look at me. I could tell he had been sleeping.

"Hey, little buddy," I said. I glanced at Ponyboy, checking him out to make sure he was okay. "He alright?"

"Fine," Soda replied, rubbing his eyes. "Still hasn't responded - except that once for Two-Bit."

I shifted my weight, watching Sodapop play with Ponyboy's hair as he softly whispered things I couldn't hear to him. "Hey, you mind if I have a minute with him?" I asked finally. I knew Soda wouldn't mind, but I actually wasn't quite sure if I wanted to talk to Ponyboy - like this - yet. Soda nodded, and rubbing his eyes again, got up and walked out. Soon after I took his seat beside our younger brother.

"Pony?" I turned his name into a question, hoping desperately for a response. "Buddy, I sure wish you'd wake up. This is really hittin' Soda hard..."

I sighed; it was sure depressing seeing my youngest brother like this.

Ponyboy's eyes suddenly shot open, the bewildered green orbs taking in his surroundings. Stunned, I gasped at him. "Soda," he rasped out, voice scratchy from lack of use. His expression confused, he continued, "Why'd you leave? I-I was awake then - I'm awake now."

...

Sodapop was off of work today - going to see Ponyboy, of course - so I had to do all the work on my own. I was used to it though, because Sodapop is mostly here to attract girls and pump gas. I ended up working until eight o'clock, and by then I was extremely worn out. We had a stubborn old Ford truck that just wouldn't fix for nothing in the world. I had tried everything I thought possible, but nothing would fix the darned thing.

Sighing, I slid out from under the truck, finally ready to call it a night. I grabbed my can of Pepsi from the hood, and finished it off before throwing it into the nearest trash can. I turned all the lights out and locked up the garage, thankful that Sodapop had walked to the hospital instead of taking my truck. Walking out behind the DX to get it, I went ahead and pulled my keys out, whistling into the pitch black cold air.

Finally I reached my truck, and unlocked the door. When I opened the door, the light on the inside flicked on, and I jumped back, stunned at what I found. Evie. Laying over the seats, motionless, there was my girlfriend. I stepped closer to examine her, wondering what in the world was going on. My stomach turned when I saw the blood covering my seats. Blood in her hair, blood on her face, blood on her arms - blood everywhere.

I got halfway into the truck, and pulled Evie up into my arms. I sighed with relief when I felt her stomach go up and fall back down as she took long, soft breaths. "Evie?" My voice came out hurt and broken. I held her shoulders and gently shook her petite frame.

"Evie? Baby, wake up," I begged her.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, her eyes opened, soon meeting mine. She groaned, and her hand flew to her head. She pulled it away, and when she noticed the blood, fear flickered over her face.

"Steve?" she mumbled.

"Yeah, it's me," I said, running my fingers lightly over her cheek. "What happened?" I pulled her to where she was completely in my lap, and she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"H-he beat me up, he wasn't supposed to know about the baby! He got mad and... I tried to explain! I swear, I did... he wouldn't listen. Steve, he-"

I gently pressed my finger against her lips, asking for silence. "Who did this?"

She stared at me, tears suddenly filling her eyes. "David," she finally whispered.

Rage bubbled up inside of me, and I chewed on my bottom lip. I knew that name immediately. That was Evie's Mom's boyfriend. They'd been going out for a long time, and he was always mean to Evie. I gently pushed Evie off me and into the seat beside me, slamming my door shut. I crunk the truck, and in about three seconds, we were out of the DX parking lot, and onto the road.

Evie held onto my arm, and snuggled against me, shaking slightly. "Baby?" I whispered to her. She just looked up at me, waiting to hear what I had to say.

"I'm gonna get him, don't you worry. He _will _pay for this."

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_YEAH! GO STEVE! Thanks for all the reviews everyone! :) And as always, thanks for reading! Review? :)_


	13. Popping the Question?

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Disclaimer: We do not own The Outsiders.

SodapopXPonyboylover: RREEALLYY Awesome chapter Hollster09! Thanks to our beta!

"I want to go home," I said for what seemed like the millionth time today.

"Now Ponyboy, you know you can't go home yet. They still need to check you over."

"It's been three weeks!"

"Ponyboy," Darry said sternly.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Three weeks of sitting here, doing absolutely nothing, while they fussed over me like I was a baby. Did I mention I hate hospitals?

"When can I go home?" I almost begged.

"When they tell you to." Darry informed me.

"AW!" I whined, honestly upset that I had to wait on the doctors approval.

Darry opened his mouth to retort when Steve walked in the door. He looked bad, worse than me probably. He had dark circles under his eyes and the usual scowl that was on his face was replaced with worry lines.

"How's Evie?" Soda asked sympathetically.

"Better, she's still scared though. I don't want her going back there," he said stiffly.

"Man, you know she can't stay with you that much longer. Your old man's gonna get an ulcer."

"I don't care. He don't deserve a say in this, he doesn't know what it's like to be beaten and kicked out of your own house."

Soda walked over and patted his buddy on the back. "It'll be alright man. Did you ever check to make sure the baby is okay?"

"Yeah it's fine." Steve sighed. "I don't know what to do man…" Suddenly he looked up. "Hey," he said curtly to me. I was surprised I even got a greeting; Steve must really be out of his mind with worry…literally.

"Hey," I replied, trying to hold back my irritation. Something about Steve always irritated me to no end, but I didn't want to start a fight when he was all emotionally racked up like this. Maybe it was that Steve never really cared for me, unless I was suddenly hurt, then he was right there, trying to look like he was my best buddy.

"Yo, Ponyboy you want something to drink?" Two-Bit asked, breaking the silence.

"Do they have Pepsi?" I asked hopefully. I was still an addict, whether I was in the hospital or not and worst of all, I couldn't remember the last time I had one.

"I dunno kid, I'll go check. If they don't have it here I'll just run to the DX or some'in. What about you Sodapop, you want a sodapop?"

"Sure buddy. Get outta here," Soda laughed, and Two-Bit smirked as he ran off.

"Good way to get rid of him." Darry commented playfully. "Maybe I should try it with you guys some time."

"Oh I'm sure you'd like that," Soda snapped back, but with the same playful attitude.

I smiled, enjoying the little banter. It made me feel like things were still normal. Suddenly I frowned, if I hadn't done what I did…Soda and Darry probably wouldn't be able to smile or laugh. They would most likely be dead, just like that guy at the warehouse. I started to wonder – did he have a family? Kids? A wife who worried about him? Maybe he was just a loner, an old hermit. Did I take him away from somebody he loved? Did anyone even find his body? And if they did, did he even have a proper funeral?

"…Ponyboy!"

I blinked, then looked back up at Soda. He looked worried. "What's up?" I asked, confused.

He sat back, letting out a relieved sigh. "Nothing."

I looked from him to Darry, who also looked a little scared. Steve had his eyes fixed to the floor, deep in thought. "No, it ain't nothin'. Tell me what's wrong?"

Darry and Sodapop looked at each other before Soda said, "Well you just kind stared off there for a minute and weren't answerin' us or nothin' and I guess we just thought…"

I felt a wave of guilt crash over me as I understood what he was getting at. I hadn't meant to scare them.

"You're fine, that's all that matters." Darry cut in.

_Fine…was I?_

"Yeah I guess," I mumbled after a while.

"Ponyboy Curtis?" A new voice spoke from the doorway. I looked up to see my doctor, answering, "Yeah?"

"You're scheduled for some tests. If you'll come with me..?" the doctor said, looking at me. I sighed and started to get out of the bed. Soda handed me my crutches, which I had to use since I hadn't been out of bed in a while, and my knees might buckle if I put my full weight on them. Not to mention that big gash on my leg. I'm gonna have a scar there, I just know it. A constant reminder of what I did.

I hesitantly reached out to touch the crutches and pushed them towards me, leaning against them. Then I stood up and loped towards the door like it was nothing, even though it took great effort..

"Can they come?" I asked, jerking my head to the three boys that were still in the room, staring after me.

"If they want to."

"We want to," Soda said curtly.

"Very well then." The doctor said, then led us out of the room.

…

"Man Pony! This is great! Two more weeks? That's awesome."

"Soda I've been in here for almost a month now! That is so not awesome."

"Almost a month? Ponyboy it's been like, three weeks."

"That's almost a month Soda." I pointed out.

"Oh…"

I rolled my eyes.

"Wull lighten up will ya?"

"Yeah, yeah whatever, Soda."

Soda laughed and smiled at me. I had to smile back, I couldn't help it. His smile was like a drug, and not just to me, to everybody. If he smiled at you, you'd just have to return the favor. It seemed like a felony if you didn't.

"Hate to break up the love fest." Two-Bit said, walking in. "But I think somebody ordered a Pepsi?"

"About time!" I complained, holding out my hands so that Two-Bit could hand me the Pepsi, but Two-Bit held it out of my reach.

"Ah ah! First you need to say the magic words."

"What magic words?" I demanded, reaching for it. But he simply held the Pepsi over his head.

"You need to say, Two-Bit is the tuffest, meanest, most bad-A greaser ever."

"Aw come on that's stupid!" I complained.

"Say it!"

"Two-Bit…!"

"SAY IT!"

"Fine," I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Two-Bit is the tuffest, meanest, most bad-A greaser ever."

Two-Bit smiled and handed me the Pepsi. "Glad you think so highly of me."

"Yeah whatever greaseball."

There was a comfortable silence when suddenly Steve got up and started to head out.

"Where you goin', man?" Soda asked, looking back at him.

"I gotta go see Evie," Steve sounded slightly embarrassed, "I don't like her being alone too long."

"Aww, when you gonna pop the question Stevie?" Soda asked, and Steve almost choked.

"S'cuse me?" he asked once he recovered.

"Man, we all know you two getting along more than just the normal girlfriend, boyfriend business. Did you ask her yet?"

"None of your business." Steve smirked, "I gotta go man. See ya's." he paused and looked at me awkwardly, "Uh, hope you feel better kid."

I tried not to let the shock show on my face, "Yeah, thanks, Steve." He nodded and headed out the door.

Two-Bit wiped a fake tear from his eye, "I hope I'll be their best man."

Sodapop swatted at him. "No, it'll be me," he said cheekily.

...

_Okay, I know this is an awkward part to leave off at, but I don't really know where else to end this chapter haha. Take it away Hollster09! XD_


	14. Lessons From Sodapop Curtis

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Disclaimer: We don't own The Outsiders.

Hollster09: AWESOME CHAPTER SODAPOPXPONYBOYLOVER!(: And thanks Beaming Sunshine for beta-ing the last couple of chapters!

I walked slowly down the long gravel road to my house, thoughts rushing at me like a freight train. _Was I making the right choice? What was she going to say? What if this turns out all wrong_? I couldn't help but to hope and pray that she would say yes. I shoved my hand in my pocket and fished out a tiny blue box. I opened it, and the inside revealed a shining silver diamond ring. Sure, the diamond wasn't the biggest or the best, but I hoped it would be enough for Evie.

The ring was my mother's - a seventeen year old greaser like me could never afford a ring this nice. I found it in the top drawer of her dresser, and Dad said that he could care less if I took it. I took a deep breath as I walked up my old, rugged drive way. I nervously wiped sweat from my forehead, and walked up to my door, stopping there suddenly and unable to move my legs any further. I stared at the ring in my hand and quickly shoved it back in my pocket. Just then, the door swung open, and there stood Evie. I gulped, silently praying that she wouldn't notice how nervous I was. My prayer didn't go through, though.

"Steve? Are you okay?" she questioned me, lying a gentle hand on my arm. I forced a smile on my face and nodded. I leaned over and kissed her cheek, whispering,

"Yeah, baby, I'm fine."

She smiled at me, an unsure expression still resting on her face. I walked inside, quickly shut the door behind me, and grabbed Evie's hand in mine. "Hey, is my Dad home?" I asked, looking around the room, hopeful that he wasn't here.

"No," she answered. "He's at some bar."

I nodded, now more nervous than ever. We were finally alone, and it was finally time to take care of this. _Just do it!_ I mentally screamed at myself.

"I need to talk to you," I finally choked out. I gulped again, then lead her into the living room. She followed me silently, probably wondering what in the world was wrong with me. She sat down on the small couch, and I sat down beside her.

"Baby," I started. She just stared at me, a worried expression clouding her - still cut up and bruised - face. She gave my hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze and I continued, "I love you. I love you so much. I love our baby, too. I'm never going to abandon you, or hurt you in any way."

I stopped, unsure of how to go on. Evie squirmed in her seat, probably figuring out where this was going. Finally, having nothing else to say, I dropped down to the floor, and got on one knee. Evie's hand flew up to her open mouth, and small tears started to form in her eyes. I slowly pulled out the small box from my pocket, and opened it.

"Evie, will you marry me?" I asked, clearly nervous from my shaking voice. Evie glanced from me, to the ring, then back to me. I gulped. _Why is she taking so long to answer? I thought. She's gonna say yes, right? Right?_

"Oh course!" she finally blurted out. A huge smile covered my face, and I pulled the ring out of the box, and slipped it on her fourth finger. She took a good look at it, and smiled. I jumped up and hugged her tight, never wanting to let her go.

"I love you," I whispered.

...

"Sodapop Patrick Curtis, why in the world would you think that?" Two-Bit asked, his tone soaked with annoyance.

"How do you know his middle name?" Darry asked curiously, leaning against the wall, watching us closely.

Ignoring my brother completely, I glared at Two-Bit, answering, "You're crazy Mathews! Crazy! I'm his best friend!" Me and Two-Bit had been arguing over who was going to be Steve's best man for a while, while Ponyboy and Darry just watched us, throwing in a comment every once in a while. I had no idea why he was even considering the fact that it could be him.

"Whatever, Curtis," Two-Bit muttered. I rolled my eyes at him, and walked back over to Ponyboy, who was raising an eyebrow at me. I flashed a grin at him.

"What's that look for?" I asked my younger brother. He shrugged, and answered,

"Nothing."

I returned the cocked eyebrow, and said, "Sure." I suddenly realized that he had emptied his can of Pepsi, so just to get under his skin, I complained, "Hey! I told you I wanted some of that!"

Ponyboy just shrugged, a grin forming on his lips. "I know you did," he commented. I shook my head at him.

"You're a terrible kid, you know that?" I told my younger brother. "Just terrible.." He just simply smiled at me innocently before saying,

"You taught me how."

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Thanks for all the reviews everyone!(: In the next chapters, we'll get more into the murder; who did it, why they did it, stuff like that. :) Take it away SodapopXPonyboylover!


	15. Hiatus AN

_Hey everyone! I really hate to tell you, but this story is on hiatus for a while... Sorry again, but SodapopXPonyboylover's Dad is in the hospital, and he's really sick, so she won't be writing for a while.. _

_-Blissful Melomaniac_


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